GREENFIELD - A cluster of from-scratch restaurants, craft breweries and space for events is envisioned for the entrance to the 84South complex of stores, apartments and offices now under construction.

Milwaukee-based Cobalt Partners, which is building 84South announced that demolition of the former Steinhafels furniture store at 84th Street and Layton Avenue has started, clearing the way for the restaurant cluster dubbed “The Lokal.”

The cluster will be anything but cookie-cutter, promised Dan Rosenfeld, principal at Mid-America Real Estate, which is marketing both 84South and The Lokal.

In a formal announcement of the plan, he said, “To date, the Cobalt team has resisted the tremendous interest that the corner has naturally generated from national restaurant concepts, instead opting for a holistic and more authentic approach in The Lokal.”

Not cookie-cutter

That promised uniqueness is just what Mayor Michael Neitzke said he has been advocating for the city for years.

To set the city apart, it has to offer something people can't get just anywhere, he said.

"There are plenty of places out there that are just like every other place," Neitzke said. "Uniqueness is what makes places special."

"This is going to be a special place that's not full of typical national franchises," he said.

artist rendering of The Lokal, a cluster of unique restaurants and craft breweries that will come to 84South at 84th Street and Layton Avenue(Photo: Rinka Chung Architecture/Submitted)

So far, Cobalt Partners hasn't announced what restaurants or craft breweries will be in The Lokal. While there has been much interest in the opportunity, the door is still open to purveyors who would like to be part of the project, the news release said. To encourage that, Cobalt Partners launched a landing page, lokal84.com, to showcase the concept and area demographics.

Vision

It's harder to achieve the uniqueness that Cobalt is seeking, Neitzke said. It takes commitment and vision, both of which he sees in the developer, he said.

"Scott Yauck (Cobalt president and CEO) and his staff are best in class at what they do. Vision is at the front of the line, not an after-thought," Neizke said.

The Lokal will consist of four buildings and nearly 32,000 square feet clustered around a communal outdoor area. That communal area could be expanded for events, such as an Octoberfest or for private functions. It also could be enclosed during the winter, the release said. The building design is described as gritty and industrial.

"The Lokal a truly unique destination is the multifunction, multi-season communal space where people can catch a concert, hold an event, or just hang out together,” Yauck said in the release.

84South, being built along Layton Avenue between 84th and 92nd streets, is approaching $200 million in development value. Neitzke predicted 84South will be a trail blazer.

Live-work-play

It offers a variety of opportunities to shop and dine out, places to gather for coffee or a beer and a place for people to live, he said.

It's a live-work-play destination, Neitzke said.

"We couldn’t be more pleased with the progress to date and what this means to our community,” he said.

The Lokal is being built on the site formerly occupied by furniture retailer Steinhafels, Inc., which moved and debuted its new store at 84South over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and drew large crowds.